How do you view not just the day, but the word – thanksgiving? Do you save up all your being thankful for a one day splurge? Is that what Thanksgiving is? I don’t think so. And I definitely don’t believe one should ever wait to express thankfulness. To me, ‘thanksgiving’ is a frame of reference – how you choose to interact with and live in your world. If there was no Thanksgiving Day – would you ever give thanks? And if your response is a somewhat pout-y, that no one ever thanks you… not to be harsh, but have you done anything that another person would be thankful for? Thanking, thankfulness, thanksgiving is an outward expression.
It would be my suggestion that we should all approach each day with a sense of appreciation and a willingness to extend the hand of thankfulness. Many times it is our sense of appreciation that triggers our thinking and subsequent act of thanking. I would also suggest that there really is/can be, even in the midst of struggle and lack, something to be thankful for.And no, I’m not disparaging what you might be going through. And no, this isn’t a Pollyanna approach to life. I just believe that if we focus on the negative then the negative will become our frame of reference.
If you are thankful type… what are you thankful for? Is there anything in your life that you are thankful for?Do you demonstrate thankfulness? Would others looking at you know you were thankful? Remember that your face tends to ’emote’ what it is you are feeling. Do you look for opportunities to be thankful? Personally I find that it is always a positive for me. When I am expressing thanksgiving, regardless of it is about/for another person or something I’ve experienced or discovered, that regardless of the source of the thankfulness I am always the benefactor.
I realize that I’ve discussed this before but I’m also always learning new lessons about what the impacts and affects of thanksgiving. One of the more delightful lessons was when I focused on the object of my thanking and saw how they responded to being thanked. Thanking another person gives them information about what they do and the effect it has. Remember how you feel when someone thanks you! Never forget that attitude is the foundation for gratitude and thanksgiving is the outward manifestation of your attitude of gratitude.
